The Justice League of Photographers and Our Faces of Sunset

We all got pictures of Suge Knight at our Sunset Boulevard photo meet up, but I'll talk about that later.  It's just that I thought it deserved to be mentioned right off the bat, because, well, you know, hey, Suge Knight, you know?



As I'm writing this, it's a good morning.  Even though I fell asleep on the couch (again), I just feel like, at least it wasn't the living room floor.  I got in about 3:30am, also feeling pretty proud of myself for having eaten two Carney's chili dogs as the capper on the hastily put together photo meet up on Sunset Boulevard.



Two Carney's chili dogs?

Yeah, of course you and I both realize that I should be smarter than that.  Well, obviously you realized it sooner than I did (Carney's has were really good chili dogs).



I just say, at least we weren't doing anything that might hurt anyone.  We were not trying to do the papparrazzi thing.  We were not chasing down celebrities.



I will admit to snapping shots (along with everyone else) of the people we met, even though most of them accused us (as is now typical) of being on the job for the gossip media.  Some of them were nice enough to do a little playful vamping.



Others were just willing to at least not duck for cover.

It was still just a no stress, no pressure way to slip out from under the work day mindset.  With the kind of job I have, it's hugely satisfying to take pictures of what I choose.

After the Michael Jackson coverage?  I'd recommend it to everyone.



It's been a pretty incredible week.  Draining, but very cool and historical and for now (at least this weekend) in the past.

I have another still photo shoot tomorrow morning.  Some might think I'm crazy for trying to cram so much into the small bits of free time I have available, but these are the things that help me get my head back on straight.



Relaxation.  That's was the intent of the Sunset Boulevard photo meet up.  It was fun to hang out with friends, some of them new to our photography get togethers, but a few veterans of past meet ups were also along for the adventure.

Have you asked yourself, why we do this?



Only speaking for myself (we are not a club).  I love to write and take pictures almost as much as I like sweeping my wife off her feet with just the right words whispered in her ear.

As I mentioned, my very lovely wife is away and while I might wish I could do all three things this weekend, I have to accept that two out of three is as good as it gets.

This week.



Now, about Suge Knight.



He was spotted before I arrived, just having a shave at a trendy barber shop and (I assume) stocking up on cigars at the cigar shop next door.

We aren't papparrazzi, but we certainly appreciate a good opportunity as much as the next tourist.

Have a happy weekend.  I'm taking it easy and will try to do more of the things I enjoy.  If it's anything interesting, I'll keep you posted.

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Behind the Gates

This story just won't go away.  I know you aren't one of the people demanding to know more about the events surrounding the death of Michael Jackson, but lots of people are still eating up every bit of coverage we can squeeze out of this tragic event.



I have to admit, I've gotten pretty jaded about the story and I didn't envy the crews that have been practically living up in Solvang and Los Olivos to give us that "live" perspective on the happenings outside the gates to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch.



I'd done enough time up there during "The King of Pop" child molestation trial and I really REALLY didn't want to spend another minute on that particular dusty country road.



Well, I didn't want to go until they told me I'd be going inside.

Now that was news I could use.



Anchors Pat Harvey and Laura Diaz were going to be allowed inside the gate and inside the home to tour and chat with each other about facts and history of the ranch.



I don't get to pick and choose the stories I cover.  I pretty much go when and where I'm assigned. 

Sometimes I get lucky.



Yesterday, after almost three years of seeing nothing but the outside gate, I got to walk around and see for myself the home that Michael built.

It was pretty empty.  Most of the furniture was gone, but the landscaping had been spruced up and the grounds looked as pristine as Disneyland (which as you know, was the architectural influence).



The drive up to Neverland and shooting the 13,000 square foot home made for a long day, but I had a blast.  It's been an interesting couple of weeks and I've gotten a lot of opportunities to see and do things that most people are only going to be able to experience from watching our newscast.

I'm a little sore this morning.  I've gotten very little sleep this week.  My knees hurt.

Seems like a fair trade.

Happy Friday.  I've got to go and check in on my eBay auction of the souvenir program I got from Tuesday's memorial and the Neverland door knob I snagged.

Kidding.  I'm keeping the door knob.

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Return to Neverland

I was calling it Neverland and thinking that I'd really never be back here.

Funny how life is full of surprises.
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Inside for the Jackson Memorial

It's almost 4:30am and I feel pretty zombified. That's the downside of being me and doing what I do for a living. If you're new here, I'm a news photographer. More importantly, I'm a news photographer when it's a great time to be alive and working in news in Los Angeles.

Unless you like sleep.

If you're looking for plenty of rest and relaxation and you happen to be a news photographer, then you're barking up the wrong tree. The death of Michael Jackson has been driving our newscasts for the past two weeks and I've worked so many odd shifts that I barely know what day it is.



The memorial service at Staples Center yesterday (whoops), the day before yesterday seemed a fitting point to mark the beginning of the end of our coverage. By sheer (Frank) luck, I was one of the relatively few who got to witness the memorial service in person.



My brain is still too fried to string together a coherent account of things, but just know up front that it was an amazing experience to be there.



Why me?

The guidelines regarding cameras and recording devices were different for media outlets attending the event than those for the general public. They were also sufficiently vague as to allow for the slim possibility that we might be able to bring in a small palm sized consumer video camera.

I was the lucky photographer tasked with making the attempt.



If it didn't work, then Kerry Maller (who always does a helluva job field producing) would be nearby and he'd take the camera back to our vans.

Nice try. It didn't work.

What was surprising to me, was that they did allow my Canon DSLR camera. At this point, I am officially saving up for a 5D mkII. It does HD video and I probably could have gotten it in.



So, I still got to go inside. I got some nice pics for Flickr and for my blog. Now, all I need is more than the three hours of sleep a night I've been getting and just a little more free time to actually write about the experience.






I've posted my pictures on Flickr and on Picassa Web Albums. They should also start showing up on my Facebook page sometime today.



It was an emotional experience. I'm happy to share the pictures.



It's just so difficult to do that while I'm still following the story.

I have a 5:30am call time to head up to Neverland today. After Michael Jackson's trial in Santa Maria, I thought I'd never be heading back to Neverland.

Silly me.

Enjoy the pictures. Have a great day. If anything interesting hapens, I'll try to keep you posted, but if I see the opportunity, I'll be jumping on the chance for a nap.

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He's Here.

I'm a little surprised, but they actually brought over his coffin from the cemetary.
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Almost Showtime.

I think I might not be the only person unsure of how I should react. The tone of the arena is subdued, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that things are somber.

The organizers have put together quite a program. It's an entertainment industry event, but I'll try to behave keep a thought in mind for the family.

I know their loss is painful. It reminds me of my own.

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Pretty Amazing

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I'm In. . .

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OMG!

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View From The Truck

I'm just waiting for the next live hit out here at Staples Center. There's kind of an intense vibe out here. Not as big as the Pope's funeral, but still pretty impressive.

My view may turn into something much more interesting tomorrow.

First, I'll have to get through today, though.

Good times.
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We'll Call It, "Plan B"

When you depend on technology to do things, you probably should expect that sometimes things won't get done.

I had the time to post this morning and was looking forward to catching up my regulars with my completely mundane adventures in covering the Michael Jackson story.

Flock (my social browser of choice) was coughing and hacking over everything I was trying to get onto the internet. This happens from time to time as services sometimes change the way their sites operate and it takes a day or so for Flock to catch up.

That's not giving me back the time I spent trying to get it to work. What you're reading and the pictures I'm posting for now are my "plan b" version of today's post. I'll try to update or revise things if I have a minute sometime later.



Anyway, I wanted to tell about the high points and low of working on the 4th of July after having been chewed up and spit out by my week of Jackson hoopla.

High points: Working with Christina McLarty, cool fireworks, free prime rib dinner, getting the job done with fewer hands than we really needed.



Low points: Gee, working on the 4th of July (and no free beer to go with that prime rib dinner).



It was a long hot day with long cable runs and multiple liveshots in HD (which made it more complicated). I was lucky that the camera I was operating (on the sixth floor of the studio's parking structure) didn't need to be manned until after the sun was setting. During the actual fireworks show, we went live for about twenty minutes (whew!) and then had two more live shots for the later newscasts.

After the last boom, we wrapped up cables as people were exiting the lot, broke down and stowed all the gear, gassed up the truck and stuck a fork in it. The day was over.

Now, it's a new week.

You can bet I can look forward to lots more Michael Jackson coverage.

This should be interesting. I hope I can snag a decent picture or two.

Happy Fourth

Well, here's another holiday that finds me working instead of spending time with my loved ones. It's not too bad. My lovely wife understands it's a part of the package and I'm at least pulling in some pretty good overtime.

It could be much worse. I could be on a Michael Jackson assignment.

Enjoy your day.
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Model Mayhem

You know it's been a rough month for me, but slowing down hasn't been an option. I promised a friend from work to shoot some still pictures of clothing and jewelry she designs for use on her web site.

"A man's got to know his limitations."



I learned that from Clint Eastwood in a "Dirty Harry" movie back in the day. That phrase came to mind once or twice as I was trying (let's hope successfully) to do a good job on the photos.



I think I have a pretty good idea of what I can do in the world of still photography. I'm almost, but not quite ready to call it more than a hobby, even though I'm flattered that a lot of people don't agree with me.



I'm close, but I still have my passion for news and writing and if I had seventeen more hours in the day, I'd make all three my priority.



As it is, I just do what I can and do my best to juggle.

My total number of hours for sleeping per week is probably lower than when I had kids at home and I've gotten intimately familiar with what exhaustion feels like.

Kind of like being rocked to sleep (literally with rocks), in case you were wondering.



So, I found myself in the very enviable position of having the opportunity to work with nine models of different ages, different shapes, and different ethnicities.



It wasn't a paid job. I was doing it to help someone else. What I was getting out of it was simply the opportunity to shoot pictures and maybe with the experience, get better at something I enjoy.



So far, I think everyone who has seen the shots are happy with them. Some pictures work better than others and I learned a lot that I'll be able to apply next time.

Like, I know now that I have to save up to buy some additional gear.



But more importantly, I got a chance to prove I can work with beautiful models in a professional setting and not collapse in a drooling stuttering lump on the floor.

Yeah, we weren't positive that wasn't going to happen.

Even though I think I know my own limitations, I'm just thankful for the opportunity to show you don't have to accept them.



Thanks again to everyone for participating. Someday when I tell other guys what it was like to photograph beautiful women, you can be sure I'm going to be a gentleman and be honest about most things.

About a few things, I think I'm going to lie like a dog.

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